Suggs signs extension; Rice arrested

Terrell Suggs and the Ravens have agreed to a contract extension, lowering his cap number in 2014.

Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images

In a period that is usually rather dead around the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens had plenty of things happening Sunday night.

The team and linebacker Terrell Suggs agreed to a contract extension while news leaked out that running back Ray Rice was arrested at a casino in Atlantic City.

Getting Suggs to agree to a contract extension to lower his 2014 cap number was the team's top priority in the offseason. Until Suggs agreed to an extension or the team decided to release him, the Ravens were handicapped with trying to re-sign any of their other free agents.

The exact terms of the new deal haven't been released yet, but the contract should allow the Ravens to aggressively pursue Eugene Monroe and Dennis Pitta, among others. It will also give Suggs the opportunity to close out his career as a Raven just like his idol, Ray Lewis.

Baltimore had some leverage with Suggs because he hasn't been the same since tearing his Achilles a couple years ago, really faded in the second half in 2013 and is now 31-years old, an age at which few pass rushers sign big contracts.

It will be interesting to see if the Ravens can get Suggs to bounce back in 2014 and play more disciplined football, something that really hurt the team against the run late in the season.

The Ravens can't do much with Rice because of his contract situation in 2014, but this certainly isn't good news for a running back that was coming off a disastrous 2013 season. The last thing he needed was negative attention in the media.

It's unclear exactly what happened, but rumors are that Rice got into an altercation with his fiancee and punches were thrown by both parties. His lawyer released a statement that it wasn't a big deal, but a lot of reports seem to contradict that account.

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Steve DeClue has always had a passion for Baltimore-area sports. He covered the Baltimore Ravens for Baltimoresun.com and Scout.com. If you are looking for your fix on sports around the Beltway, Steve's your man. You may contact Steve with your comments and questions.